★ Describe the defining characteristics of political culture in Texas
Political scientists have long recognized the importance of political culture, that is, the broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function and politics should operate. American political culture is traditionally viewed as emphasizing the values of liberty, equality, and justice and support for a democratic form of government. These terms have meant a variety of things to Americans in different times and places.
States often exhibit a distinctive political culture that political scientist Alan Rosenthal says is the “product of their entire history.”4 Presumably the political culture of a state has an effect on how people participate in politics and how individuals and institutions interact.5 Often, Texas is categorized as having a “traditionalistic individualistic” political culture in which deference is shown to political elites by the masses and hard work and self-interest are valued as core virtues in the economic life of the state.6 Taxes are kept low, and social services are minimized. Political elites, such as business leaders, have a major voice in how the state is run. In spite of the difficulty in measuring this concept of traditionalistic individualistic political culture in any empirical way, it is widely regarded as useful in explaining fundamental beliefs about the state and the role of state government.
The political culture of any state can change over time, and it is difficult to place the political culture of a state as large and as diverse as Texas in any one category. The liberal cultural norms of urban areas such as Houston, Dallas, and Austin often stand in sharp contrast to those found in the conservative suburban (places outside a city) and exurban (places beyond the suburbs) areas of these cities. These, too, differ from the political cultures found in south Texas along the border or in the rural Panhandle of west Texas. In fact, Texas has many different political cultures and subcultures.7 To understand the complexity of political culture in Texas today, it is useful to consider three long-lasting patterns in Texas politics and the changes they are undergoing: the one-party state, the idea of provincialism, and business dominance.
For over 100 years, Texas was dominated by the Democratic Party. Winning the Democratic primary was tantamount to winning the general election. The pattern was broken in 1978 when Republican William Clements first won the governorship, to the surprise of many, and again in 1986 when he won his second term. During the 1990s, substantial competition also emerged between the parties for control of the state legislature. Following redistricting in 2002 the Republicans secured a 7-vote majority in the state Senate and a 24-vote majority in the state House. They continued to expand these majorities for the next 15 years. Between 2002 and 2022 all major statewide elected offices were controlled by Republicans. (One Court of Criminal Appeals justice switched to the Democratic Party in December 2013 after being elected as a Republican, but was defeated in the November 2016 general elections.) Few observers doubt that Republicans and conservative values will continue to dominate state politics in the near future. Even so, changes are in the wind. A powerful Republican Party controls most suburban, exurban, and rural areas and has grown increasingly conservative and divided. Moderate pro-business Republicans have clashed with a strident group of cultural conservatives championing such issues as traditional marriage, border security, and school choice. The Democratic Party that controls Texas cities has become a party of liberal White people and people of color seeking to promote a progressive agenda emphasizing abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, and public education. Democrats see in the expanding young Latino population a route back into political prominence.
A second pattern that once defined Texas political culture is provincialism, a narrow view of the world that is often associated with rural values and belief in limited government. The result often was an intolerance of diversity and a concept of the public interest that dismissed social services and expenditures for education. Some of the more popular politicians in Texas in the past have espoused such attitudes, along with corn pone—a rural rejection of the cosmopolitanism found in large urban areas. Racism and intolerance of other cultures played important roles in defining provincialism in the traditional Texas political culture. Increasing urbanization; the growing influence of racial and ethnic minorities, women, and LGBTQ people in politics; and the state’s rising importance in the global economy have undercut some of Texas’s traditional provincialism. However, recent episodes of intolerance toward transgender individuals, minority religious groups, and new immigrants from Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America show a resurgence in some of the values associated with provincialism in Texas, at least in some parts of the population.
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A third pattern that defined Texas’s political culture is its longtime dominance by business. Business groups are the major players in Texas politics, in terms of campaign contributions, organized interest groups, and lobbyists. The concerns and values of business groups continue to shape political culture in Texas today. Increasingly, business interests are not limited to state and local business concerns but include national and international business concerns as well. National and international corporations are often more cosmopolitan in their orientation than are traditional Texas business interests, having to be concerned with workers and customers living outside Texas. Business influence is being challenged by a powerful social conservative wing in the Republican Party that is less concerned with business interests than in expanding gun owner rights and curtailing abortion, immigration, and LGBTQ rights.
Greg Abbott signs a bill at a craft brewery in Texas, surrounded by state officials and business leaders. He is holding the signed document and people are clapping.
Ties between business and politics have always been close in Texas. Here, Governor Greg Abbott signs a bill allowing craft breweries in Texas to sell their goods directly to customers.